The Effects of Teacher Gender on Children’s Behavior

The researcher examined if the gender of high school student-teachers influence child behavior in the preschool classroom. The lack of male educators in the early childhood field has limited the currently available research on how the teacher’s gender affects children’s behavior and learning (Sumsion, 2005). Parents of seven boys and four girls between the ages of three and five years gave consent for their child to participate in the study. One male and five female high school students enrolled in an early childhood occupations class agreed to participate in the study. The researcher used video observations of the children interacting with high school student-teachers during planned and unplanned activities. The study analyzed children’s behavior as they interacted with male and female student-teachers. Children’s behavior differed when they participated in activities offered by male and some female high school student-teachers